Motor-vehicle.



R. F. MACFIE.

MOTOR VEHICLE APPLECATION FILED SEPT. 4.1911.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R. F. MACFIE.

MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4.1917.

Patented Mal 191%.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

BQBERT FRANCIS MAOFIlE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

IVEIOTUBFVEHIOLE.

eaaeea.

Application fileii fleptember 4, 1917.

Z '0 (m vim-win it iimg eoiieeri Be it: known that 1. ROBERT Flume-1:5 MAC- a oi en of the United States of An'ierresidmg in London, Englaml, have invented certain new aml useful improvements in Motor-Vehicles, which the f0llowing is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicles of the type which have an endless portable traelr 01' tracks, such as a cliai11-tread. and. are propolled by an internal-comliiistion engineer other motor driving wheels around WlHCll the pert-able iraek passes. T liese vehicles are intended to travel GU31 rough ground which is impassable t0 the ordinary type of Wheeled motor-vel'iiele, and it is the object of the present invention to provide an. improved form of the above type of vehicle which a 'iclerTange of capabilities and 1 ioreorar capable of floating so that even water or .iVels do not imi ede iliwllhe impritived vehicle particularly suiia'ble for use as an armored ear in warfare.

According to this invention the frame earrying; the portable track or tracks is adj 1istable about a horizontal .(is relatively to the body so that it can be, tilted. to bring it into coat-act with the ground when it might etheriviee be unable reach it, or to givea large grig ig'iing' sin: :ICG WllQH climbing on to a sleep bar-k.

The invent-km is preferably applied to a vehicle oi pi'rellally mounted upon a bugle ravying the portable .trarlc or trams, aml on separate supportingmeans Queh as la, rho bogie being ar'r "Til to turr. relatii ly to the body in ellerl' in ring, and in this construction the :z'holclJ lQlO is made {0 swing nlioirt a horizonial axis.

iii-smiling to mioilmr feature oi the iii-- reimon, the lower partof ilie lJOkiX of the vehicle is made watei t', ii, and 0% such 'liiioyz'ziier i liat the whole vehicle ean float in Water, and a pro ieller is proviileil, with nieansi for operativel tenure-ling it to he engine to drive thowehiole -when afloat,

it features of tie invention :U'v here inaii'ei: described and the novel (let-ails pointout in The claims; the description IUftl'ri to a particular construction 01 vehicle \rliirii illustrated. in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l a sirle elevation of the vehicle Speeifzcation of Letters Patent.

the type in which the body 15* "at-mired Mar. 25, 3395.9,

Serial No. 189,654.

0115 details;

Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig: 1;

Fig. 3 is an eml elevation, looking the right-hand earl of Fig. l i

Fig. +l; is a sectional View of a. detail. and

Fig. 5 a section on the cent "a1 line of Fig. 4: at right-angles to the viev shown in Fig. i

Like reference charm-"(era indicate: parts throughout tlie nlrawings. i

In the drawings, whim illustrate an ariiioreil 'veliicle suitable. for miliiary parpes s, thebmly A, of suitable dimensionsand shape, is constructed of hulletqariml' or other suitable armoring material. 'lrelerably it is completely covered by an armored roof and the usual Small openings are inro- Yldeal in the walls for observation purposes from Vlill. some parts broken mrayloshoir rari' like and for permitting the use of lire-arms or guns from the interior of the \oliirle'; "At the rear end. that is to say the right-hand end in l and '2, the vehicle is supported by a pair of p'mtable endless tracks l3. a1- raiigeil one at each Sldb'llf the-vehicle. The engine. or engines. for; propelling lilie'vohirlo are preferably of the intern:il-emiiliiistion type amlare siiuaterl. toward the reaeeiul oi the vehicle in illel]ll'(.l'l()! thereof "and the drive is transmii leil to the (racks through any Convenient arrau oiiieiil of gearing.

The frimfxeiiil of file \eh'irle is :iiipporterl by a l)() l'l0 having a vertical pivotal mount lug at- C whirh peiiiiiis (he liog'ie'io him about a rertiual axi rela iirel t the. holly. Any convenient construction of mounting may be usml whereby a frailiraiiei iiier can i'lllll relailrely in the horly. a ful preferalilr the pivotal axis i arranged rloS'e to the front curl of he l)U(lV.

he other part of the hogie. indicated at i", is coiiiivriril to the nari' l)\' a horizontal nimt-roniiee l n l i.

iiun at. so l'llilli the part: can swing". the pamrC a9 mill! A rill-ve l rack or quadrant; is provided on the member C.- anijl a pinion Cl, mounted on the body of ihe vehicle; meshes witlrtlie This pinion provides the means fo fj trated in Fig. 1,'butit will be understood.

thatI-the invention is not restricted to this specific arrangement since many other forms could be used. Thus, for example, if the horizontal and vertical pivotal axes are both arranged in the same vertical plane, the gearing can be considerably simplified and such an arrangement is held to lie within the scope of this invention.

The tilting of the bogie C relatively to the body A is effected by any convenient mechanism.' As illustrated in Figs. 1, 4 and 5,

the mechanism takes the form of a screwed spindle E connected to the framework of the bogie C and projecting upward into the body of the vehicle; A nut, screwed on this spindle, is suitably supported in the body and the nut is provided with acrown-wheel E meshing with a bevel-wheel E to be driven by it. The pinion E may be driven by hand but it is preferred to provide clutchmechanism and transmission gearing wherebyit may be driven by. the engine for the vehicle.

In order to simplify the mechanical construction, the. bogie C is arranged to be tilted about a. horizontal axis only when it is in line with the body of the vehicle, and to insure this. a locking-pin Fis provided in the body of the vehicle to engage the steering quadrant C and hold it in its central position when the bogie is to be til-ted. l/Vith this arrangement, the screwed spindle E is only swung in one vertical plane longitudinally of the vehicle, and by mounting the pinion E to engage the crown wheel E on a. diameter at right-angles to this plane, the wheels will. always remain in mesh, although the wheel E be tilted as shown in Fig. 1. The nut on the spindle E is mounted on the body so that it is capable of a certain amount or 4 I rotation about a horizontal axis, and this axis is preferably concentric with the axis of the wheel E. p

The connection of the spindle E with the bogie is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Two

channel members G are mounted on the bogie C and curved about the vertical-axis of rotation of the bogie relatively to the body. These members constitute-the guide for a cross-head G mounted on them, as

' shown in Fig. 4, and the spindle E is forked at its lower end. and formed to engage pins G secured in the cross-head. These'pins Gr do not extend across the central part of the spindle E, for the purpose. hereinafter deflescribed. As will be seen from Fig. 4, this mounting provides a certain amountof freev dom for the spindle E to be inclined to the cross-head G such inclination occurring when the bogie (J is tilted. down as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The screwed s i'ndle can only be guided at its upper enc and when. the bogie C is tilted downward through a considerable angle, there is a possibility that the crosshead'G may slide laterally in. its guides G. According to another feature of this invention, therefore, locking means are provided for holding the cross-head G from movement in its guide G. Referring particularly to Fig. 4:, the spindle E is made hollow and the pin H extends through it. A plate G is secured on the members G and extends across the space between them on the underside. This plate is perforated as at G, and the pin H, when advanced through. the spindle henters the perforation G The cross-head G is thus eii'ectually locked against movement along the guide G. The pin H extends up into the body of the vehicle and'any convenient mechanism may be used for im-pa-rt- 0 ing to it the slight endwise movement that is necessary to engage it with, or disengage it from, the plate G The perforation (i 18 of elongated or oval shape to provide for the tilting of the spindle E and pin Has indicated in Fig. 4c.

' It will be a preeiated that it is not necessary that the loogie C should always be set straight ahead when it is tilted, since the plate Gr may, be extended along the guide G to any desired extent and provided .with a plurality of perforations corresponding to G so thatthe cross-head G can be locked in any position. As a rule, however, in practice it will be found that it will be suitable if the bogie is tilted only in the manner indicated.

As above stated, the body A of the vehicle is made watertight as to its lower parts, and of such buoyancy that the whole vehicle can float. A propeller J is mounted at the rear end of the body A and is provided with suitable clutch-means whereby it can be connected to the engine for the purpose of propelling the vehicle when afloat. The propel- 5- ler-shaft. J is hinged as at J so that the propeller can be folded up as shown in Fig. 1, to lie against the rear end of the vehicle when it is not in use.

The engine, or engines, in the vehicleare situated at the rear end, and, as illustrated in .Fig. 3, th.e body is provided with. doors A1 A at this end; The radiators for the engine are mounted opposite these doors and suitable fans are providedfo'r forcing a our- 5 rent of air through the radiators and out at the back of the vehicle. Ventilation of the vehicle isthus provided for simultaneously with the cooling of the radiators. The doors at the back of the'vehicle are preferably CJI made in two parts so that when the vehicle is afloat only the lower part A of the doors need be closed. The ventilation of the vehicle and cooling of the radiators need not then be entirely stopped by the closing of all the doors.

According to another feature of the invention, the dimensions and arrangement of the front bogie are such that the track D projects beyond'the front of the body as shown in Figs. I and 2. This arrangement is used in order that when the vehicle is approaching a steep bank. there shall be no possibility of the body engaging the bank before the track gets on to it to effect the drive. This is very liable to occur if the portable track is set back under-the front of the body as is ordinarily the case with vehicles driven by portable tracks. The rear tracks also may be arranged to project backward from the rear of the vehicle if so desired, for the same purpose.

When the vehicle is to be used for military purposes as an armored car, the bogie carrying the trac {S is provided with suitable bullet -proof shields extending over the greater part of it, and according to another feature of the invention an additional shield "is provided for the front of the portable swung back. and they are provided with abu'der or yielding control. so that when the shield is struck by a projectile, it can yield somewhat and thereby relieve the pivotal mounting of the bogjie C and other parts of some oi the shock to which they would otherwise be subject. The links may coin prise a cylinder containing a stiti' springhnd a plunger which constitutes the other end of the link. The vehicle is thereby rendered less liable to injury. This shield K can also be uscd for forcing a llflilhgllll'Ullgll obstacles and according to anothcr feature of the invention, it is providcd with a. conical or wedgesluqicd shield K projecting from the front for this object. According to another fcaturc of the invention. the vehicle is provided with a \vi1'e-cutteror cutters i mounted on the front'o't' the body of the vehicle so that barbed wire entanglements and the likc can be cut through to afford a path for the vehicle. A guide inounlcd in front of the bogic to direct the wires either downward so that the portable track passes over them, or upward into the wire cuttcrs. This guide is convunicntly constituted by the coni-- cal shield K which directs any wire or like obstacle upward or downward in the manner described. Additional stays L, extending from the front of the vehicle toward the front of the bogie, also act as guides for the Wire to direct it into the wire cutter L. It will be appreciated that the conical shield K enables the vehicle to pass through barbed wire entanglements by forcin the stakes apart sidewise. Yet another a vantage of this conical shield is that it presents. an inclined surface to any projectile fired at it from the front, so that only a glancing blow can be given, thereby rendering the vehicleless liable to damage.

It will be understood that a vehicle constructed in accordance with this invention may be provided with a portable-track-carrying bogie in the front and portable tracks or wheels at the rear. The front bogie may have one or two portable tracks. as is found desirable. Also the rear end of. the vehicle may be carried on a separate bogie mounted similarly to the bogie C described above. One or more tracks may be used on the rear bogie, or on the vehicle itself as desired. Also it will be understood that the various parts of the mechanism which project through the floor of the vehicle will be inclosed in wells to prevent the entry of water when the vehicle is afloat, or any other desired arrangement may-be used for maintaining the vehicle watertight to therequired height. The various auxiliary details, such as the steering, the tilting of the bogie, the raising of the shield K, and the operation of the wire cutters, may bearranged to be operated by hand, but it is preferred to make them all power-operated by means of suitable clutches and transmission mechanism from the engine or engines of the vehicle.

It will be seen, therefore, that this invention provides a vehicle which i can travel over rough qround or other obstacles which are impassable to the ordinary type of mot'()I'-\fBl'1lCl0, and, moreover, its range of ac tion is not limited by water or rivers since it can be propelled across them while floating. When used as an armored car ton military purposes, the vehicle can overcome practically all the artificial obstacles which are put. in its path, in addition to the. nat-. ural obstacles which it may encounter.

Various modifications may be made in the exact details of crmstructiou of the vehicle or of parts thereof without departing ally connected about a horizontal axis to said bogie, an arcuate guide on said frame concentric with said vertical axis, a cross head on said. guidemovable longitudinally relatively thereto, extensible means operatively connecting the cross head to the body of the vehicle for increasing or decreasing the distance between these two parts at will, locking means whereby the cross head can be fixed relatively to said arcuate guide, an endless portable track mounted on said frame, a power unit in the body of the vehicle, and an operative connection between said portable track and said power unit.

-2. In a self-propelled vehicle the combi nation of the vehicle-body, supporting means therefor, a bogie pivotally connected about a vertical axis to ,said body, a frame pivotally connected about a horizontal axis to said bogie, an arcuate guide on said frame concentric with said vertical axis, a cross headon said guide movable longitudinally relatively thereto, a screwed spindle rotatively engaged with said cross-head, a rotatable nut mounted in the body of the vehicle engaging said screwed spindle, means for rotating said nut to feed the, spindle therethrough, locking means whereby the cross-head can be fixed relatively to said arcuate guide, an endless portable track mounted on said frame, a power unit in the body of the vehicle and an operative connection between said portable track and said power-unit.

In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of the vehicle body, supporting means therefor, a bogie plvotally connected about a, vertical axis to said body, a frame pivotally connected about a horizontal axis to said bogie, an arcuate guide on said frame concentric with said vertical axis, a cross relatively thereto, a hollow screwed spindle rota'tively engaged with said cross-head, a

rotatable nut mounted in the body of the vehicle engaging said screwed spindle, means for rotating said nut to feed the.'spindle therethrough, a perforated plate extending lengthwise of said arcuate guide and se-,-

cured on the lower side thereof, a pin mounted within said screwed spindle and movable longitudinally thereof into and out from engagement with said perforated plate, an

endless portable track mounted on said for tilting said frame relatively to the body,

an endless portable track mounted on said frame, a power-unit 'on the vehicle, and an operative connection between said portable track and. said power-unit.

5. In a selfpropelled vehicle the combination oflthe body of the vehicle, a frame pivotally connected thereto about a horizontal axis transverse to the length of the body, said frame extending beyond an end of the body, a conical shield mounted on said frame adjustable to protect the end thereof or to be raised above the end thereof, means for tilting said frame relatively to the body, an endless portable track mounted on said frame, a power-unit on the vehicle and an operative connection between said portable track and said power-unit.

6. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of the body of the vehicle, a, frame pivotally connected thereto about a horizontal axis transverse to the length of the relatively to the body, an endless portable track mounted on said frame, a power-unit on the vehicle, and an operative connection between said portable track and said powerunit. a.

In testimony whereof I afi x my siignatnre. ROBERT FRANCIS MA GFIE. 

